Monday, January 25, 2010

Resting Players at the End of a Football Season

I know there is some controversy concerning playoff bound teams resting players at the end of the long NFL season. Even the commissioner isn't crazy about it. I find this to be similar to the concern NASCAR has about restrictor plate racing; neither side is addressing the real issue. The only solution to playoff teams sitting down their starters when winning no longer helps their playoff seeding is to make the season shorter. With a shorter season it will not be as easy to lock up top seedings and there will be less concern with the wear and tear of a brutal sport. With the NFL considering adding more games to the regular season you can see that there will be no solution to this problem. I don't really see it as a problem. That's is just the nature of football; it's a tough sport and it's a long season. Being able to rest your starters is a reward for having a big season and securing your division early and getting a high playoff seed.